Underlying Causes of Anger in the Black Lives Matter Movement
One of my specializations as a therapist is anger management counseling. In my practice, I typically use a three-step approach following curriculum set out by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
Find healthy ways of expressing anger (i.e., conflict resolution skills, communication skills, etc.)
Identify and understand our beliefs about anger (i.e., myths that anger is genetic, it has to be aggressive, etc.)
Identify and deal with underlying causes of anger (i.e., trauma, environmental influences, what we learned from our parents/role models as a kid, etc.).
Finding healthy ways of expressing anger is the most immediate step because it ensures safety. Expressing anger in a healthy way helps us avoid getting hurt, hurting others, or ending up with legal or financial consequences.
With that being said, I consider Step 3 the most important.